Welcome back to ON THE LOT, our weekly newsletter with fresh reporting and analysis on the biggest storylines in Hollywood.
In today’s edition: The never-ending twists in the bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, some uninvited guests at the “Scream 7” premiere, riding shotgun with stunt driver Dee Bryant, and this week’s recommendations.
Got tips (on how Netflix will spend the $82.7 billion it’s saving on the Warner Bros. deal or how to do my hair like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s)? You can reach me at rebecca.keegan@nbcuni.com or on Signal at thatrebecca.82.
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FROM TUDUM TO WOMP WOMP
If the fight over who will own Warner Bros. Discovery were a streaming show, we’d be at about Episode 7 by now — and shrieking at the plot twists. The latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.
And while the entertainment industry might have initially scoffed at Netflix, it’s not particularly excited about the possibility of an Ellison-family behemoth.
“Goodbye to one bad deal for the business,” one entertainment industry lawyer said. “Hello to another.”
Any industry consolidation is greeted as a grim prospect, but Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ charm offensive in recent weeks had converted a lot of Hollywood skeptics to his side.
There was increasing optimism on the beleaguered Warner Bros. lot about the Netflix deal. And sources at two different talent agencies told me Sarandos had had productive conversations with agents there, pledging, among other things, that the streaming giant would allow divisions of the merged company to bid against each other for a project. Sarandos also laid out the case he had been making in the media, claiming that the Netflix deal would lead to fewer layoffs than the Paramount one and pledging that he would maintain traditional theatrical windows for Warner Bros. films.
As of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, when Sarandos was seen arriving for a meeting with White House staffers, Netflix was seemingly still in the game for WBD. But something changed — and fast. By 6 p.m. Netflix issued its news release calling the deal “no longer financially attractive.”
Democrats in Washington were quick to pounce on the news, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asking, “What did Trump officials tell the Netflix CEO today at the White House? A handful of Trump-aligned billionaires are trying to seize control of what you watch and charge you whatever price they want.”
Whether it was a regulatory conversation that soured the deal or, as Netflix’s statement suggests, financial prudence, the streamer’s stock price soared in response and stomachs in the entertainment and media industries dropped.
The mood is particularly funereal at WBD-owned CNN, where staff have watched changes at Paramount-owned CBS News under CEO David Ellison‘s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, with a wary eye. As one on-air anchor told my colleague, Chloe Melas, “We were all hoping Netflix would win.” Another staffer said, “No one wants to work for the Ellisons, and if Bari is going to be running CNN, expect people to leave.”
One executive told Chloe, “We’re all worried what this means. Are we going to lose our jobs?”
If the Justice Department approves the Paramount deal, the next hurdles for Ellison will be regulators in Europe and in states like California, where Attorney General Rob Bonta has pledged to be “vigorous” in his review.
In a post on X, actor Mark Ruffalo called on state AGs to “circle up” and said the pact will “drive down wages, and product quality for consumers. There are lots of agents in Hollywood who can tell you how past mergers and consolidations have hurt their clients and business.”
The view from many in the industry is frustration that Warner Bros. needs to go through another merger at all, just four years after its acquisition by Discovery under CEO David Zaslav. Zaslav stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars if the Paramount deal closes.
In a WBD town hall Friday, Zaslav acknowledged the strain of the process but told employees they are, “the envy of everyone in this business,” two sources on the call confirmed.
One thing is clear: Everyone in Hollywood is seated for Episode 8.
PROTESTS OVER A SCREAM
Actors in Ghostface masks lurking by the DJ booth. A blood-red cake stabbed with a butcher knife on the dessert table. Original “final girl” Neve Campbell welcoming guests. The “Scream 7” premiere on Wednesday had anything a die-hard fan of the 30-year-old horror franchise could want. Well, almost anything.
For protesters outside the Paramount lot, an important person in the franchise was missing at the lavish event: actor Melissa Barrera. Carrying signs that read “Stand Up for Free Speech” and “Cancel Paramount,” the activists told me they’re boycotting the film over the star’s 2023 firing.
Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind “Scream,” parted ways with Barrera after remarks she made on Instagram about the Israel-Hamas war that appeared to echo an antisemitic trope about Jewish people.
In a statement at the time, the company said it has “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
In response, Barrera, who played Sam Carpenter in two “Scream” films, condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia, but said she would continue to speak out when she felt compelled. Her supporters say she deserved better.
“We love this film. We love this franchise, but what we’re saying is that it’s not OK to fire someone for speaking out against a genocide,” Nino Testa, one of the organizers, said. “We can’t accept the censorship of Spyglass or its distributor, Paramount.” Representatives for Spyglass and Paramount did not respond to requests for comment.
Despite the public backlash, “Scream 7” still seems poised to be a hit, largely thanks to fan nostalgia for Campbell and director Kevin Williamson, who wrote the screenplay for the original “Scream.” The movie is expected to open to more than $40 million at the domestic box office this weekend.
Late Wednesday night, in what many interpreted as Barrera acknowledging the boycott, the actor shared an Instagram story that said simply, “I see you,” with a heart emoji.
BEEP BEEP
Good news for Hollywood stunt drivers! I, at least, am not coming for your job.
This week, I learned how to drift from accomplished stunt performer Dee Bryant, who has doubled for actors like Angela Bassett (“9-1-1”), Kerry Washington (“Shadow Force”) and Regina King (“American Crime”). While it was exhilarating to vroom around in a 500-horsepower Mustang Dark Horse deliberately trying to lose traction, it was also clear that the most ambitious stunt I personally should attempt is merging onto the 101 at rush hour.
Bryant, on the other hand, represents a highly skilled Hollywood craft that is more than a century old and only recently getting its due. Historically, actors have wanted to keep the illusion of their athleticism and daring alive and stunt performers have been instructed to keep their profiles low. But in 2028, the Oscars will debut a category for stunt design.
“We’ve been the redheaded stepchild of the business, and we’re always taught to hide our faces, hide who we are,” Bryant told me, as we chatted over the odor of burning rubber. “It’s just visibility for us. It feels good to finally be able to say, ‘Give us our flowers.’”
Bryant, who owns 16 motorcycles and a boat, has performed all kinds of stunts, including an elaborate, high-speed boat chase as Washington in “Shadow Force” that is up for multiple other stunt awards this year.
But even she said she’s seen production work slow down in L.A. after a series of shocks to the entertainment industry, from Covid to guild strikes. The next potential threat on the horizon is AI.
“For years we have had to contend with CGI, which took a lot of work away from us,” Bryant said. “But now AI is like CGI on crack. It’s scary. I’m not sure what the future holds.”
Luckily, Bryant is good at steering out of a jam. If you want to watch her try to teach me some of those tricks, check out our video on NBC News’ app, behind the subscriber paywall.
THE HYPE
Why get your recommendations from an algorithm when you could get them from a music icon, the president of the Producers Guild and a fellow NBC News cinephile?
Songwriter Diane Warren, who is nominated for her 17th Oscar this year for the original song “Dear Me,” performed by Kesha in the documentary “Diane Warren: Relentless,” is watching “Oscar movies, ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Hacks.’”
Producers Guild of America co-president Stephanie Allain is listening to Thandiwe Newton reading “Jane Eyre” on Audible for Newton’s “mesmerizing performance” and watching “The Pitt” because “it makes me feel more connected to my body and to the brave folks who save lives and witness death with dignity.”
And Saba Hamedy, NBC News’ culture and trends editor, has been watching FX and Hulu’s “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” which she said makes her jealous of people who lived in ‘90s New York. (Also a fan? Check out Chloe Melas’ fun story on the show).
THE DIALOGUE
“My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.” — Tourette’s activist John Davidson in an interview with Variety following fallout from the BAFTAs, during which one of his tics included an outburst of a racial slur while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage.
“Hear me out: I understand, and it’s adorable, and he’s breaking my heart. But that being said … who are we to question the wisdom of the tribe?” — “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s hot take on Punch the monkey, the latest animal that the internet has fallen in love with.
“Over the course of being a witness to the journeys of other people over 25 years, I was quietly shaping my own.” — “Survivor” host Jeff Probst to “The White Lotus” creator/“Survivor” alum Mike White in Interview magazine.
That’s a wrap — see you next week!
